Chapter 99

The moment the lights came on, the two animals realized it, suddenly hearing this sentence, they stared at her blankly.

Da Lao Hu Junjun: 'QWQ'

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo rubbed its little paws: 'Hehehe, actually it's not like that, listen to my excuse!'

'Ah no no no, listen to my explanation!'

Ling Yue sat on the sofa, not yet speaking, when the teammates on the other side burst into wails, looking at the screen tearfully: 'No, bro, pull yourself together, this is my ranked match, I beg you, please!'

'Forget it, they must have been called by their moms to do homework, cheer up.' Another teammate advised him, but this advice was worse than none.

Upon hearing that, that person's mentality collapsed outright: 'Wuuuuu...'

Crying is cute for small animals, but this one with a deep voice wails like a ghost howling and wolves crying, making listeners frown involuntarily.

Ling Yue: 'Forget it, you guys finish this round first.'

Her voice was soft, yet it still reached the two animals and even the ears of the opposing teammates; that big brother let out an 'ah' and stopped crying: 'Thank you, mom, thank you, mom!'

Ling Yue: '......'

Xunbao Shu stood on the keyboard, squeaking with laughter, almost unable to stay upright; the teammates on the other side died laughing: 'Hahaha, does your mom know? You've found another mom out there!'

That teammate simply fell silent.

In the hall, a crackling sound rang out; Xunbao Shu Duo Duo and Da Lao Hu Junjun cooperated seamlessly—though they usually perform poorly and even hold back, once cornered they immediately erupted.

Often, just after they scolded a couple of sentences, the sound would stop.

The other two teammates frowned more and more as they played: 'No, big bro, what's with this situation—are you playing us?'

In front of the keyboard, Da Lao Hu Junjun and Xunbao Shu Duo Duo exchanged a glance: 'I'm a Mountain Lord / Treasure‑seeking Mouse—how could I lose to a human!'

After a halting finish, the game finally ended; seeing the victory characters on the screen, Xunbao Shu and Junjun happily slapped hands, speaking in unison: 'Yeah! We're the best in the world!'

The next moment, the teammates who had finished the ranked match complained: 'This crappy game, I'll never play it again—if I do, I'm a dog!'

'What kind of matchmaking is this—even elementary schoolers are playing!'

'I'm furious!'

Another teammate said dryly: 'Bro, do the math—this is your thirty‑fifth time saying this, right? Promise me you'll stop cursing yourself.'

Obviously, those two are also good friends, trading barbs with each other, each one nastier than the last.

Ling Yue couldn't help laughing, feeling that playing games was wasting two talents; if they didn't do crosstalk, it'd be a shame—they're a perfect straight‑man and funny‑man duo.

After the game ended, Ling Yue looked at the two before her with curved brows and eyes, leisurely asking: 'Is there anything you want to say?'

Da Lao Hu Junjun and Xunbao Shu Duo Duo glanced at each other, not knowing what they'd thought, shuddered violently, and said in unison: 'We confess, we confess everything!'

Ling Yue crossed her arms, slightly curling her lips, not noticing Junjun's odd movement; it suddenly sniffed the air, as if it had smelled something.

Xunbao Shu stood on the tabletop and gave the first explanation; a few minutes later, Ling Yue learned that they had been playing games for quite a while.

As for this keyboard, it was bought with the earnings from Xunbao Shu and Da Lao Hu Junjun's street performances, choosing the most suitable gaming keyboard.

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo: 'It cost us several thousand!'

'We don't just set up stalls; we also collect bottles to sell as scrap—though it's hard, look, this keyboard is super cool!'

As it spoke, it pressed a button; in the blink of an eye, the keyboard lit up with rows of tiny colored lights, forming a big tiger‑head pattern.

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo still felt dissatisfied: 'Damn shop, why no little mouse design? Little mice are so cute—this is discrimination!'

Ling Yue rubbed her forehead, looking at its smug expression, and couldn't help saying: 'Then you also shouldn't play too late—what time is it now? It's midnight; can you get up tomorrow? Are you still going to sleep?'

Da Lao Hu Junjun tilted its head: 'I don't need to sleep anyway.'

It's a Mountain Lord! Even without a body now, it's still a powerful spirit!

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo said plaintively: 'But I'm a creature that hides by day and comes out at night.'

Ling Yue: '...... Fine then!'

She rubbed her big head with her left hand and her small head with her right: 'But you guys shouldn't play too late—like today, that's already too late; what if you scare a little cat that gets up in the middle of the night?'

Xunbao Shu nodded, then suddenly spoke: 'Actually, we've been waiting for you.'

Ling Yue: '???'

Her head was full of little question marks, then she heard Xunbao Shu say: 'You've been coming home too late lately; we discussed taking turns, and today it's my and Junjun's turn to wait for you to come home. If you're this late again next time, we'll send a whole legion to pick you up!'

Ling Yue felt warm inside; what else could she say? 'Tomorrow we'll have an extra meal, and if we have time we'll go out and play.'

Xunbao Shu hehehed with laughter, happily doing a snake‑skin walk on the keyboard!

The colorful tiger‑big‑pattern on the keyboard sparkled; Ling Yue glanced at it, not commenting on the effect or feel, but it indeed looked good.

Suddenly, Da Lao Hu Junjun from beside her leaned in, sniffing her up and down; Ling Yue startled, quickly pushed its head away: 'Junjun, what are you doing? Get off!'

The white big tiger's long, soft fur fell into her neck, brushing the back of her hand; Ling Yue felt an unbearable itch, laughing and dodging, tears nearly spilling.

Junjun suddenly widened its eyes at her: 'I smelled it.'

Ling Yue looked at it curiously; Junjun shook its fluffy head: 'It's my scent.'

'My master's body carries my scent.'

Ling Yue blinked, not quite grasping its meaning; after Junjun's explanation, she learned that the soul sealed in the painting was Junjun's, while its true body had been lost outside.

It said indignantly: 'Those damned Daoists! I fell for their tricks—normally I could take on ten or a hundred of them alone, but they cheated!'

Da Lao Hu Junjun flicked its tail and continued: 'They separated my body and soul; fortunately I left a backup, sending my body back to my fief, or else they'd surely have refined it.'

'Those damned Daoists just want to refine my flesh into a magic treasure—I am a Mountain Lord, a conferred Mountain Lord!'

'As long as I find my body, I will surely defeat them!'

Ling Yue heard this for the first time, pursing her lips; although Junjun had put it lightly, the danger was evident, and she couldn't miss it.

Ling Yue touched Junjun's puffed‑up head, patient and gentle; Junjun shyly lowered its head: 'Sorry, I didn't tell you before.'

Ling Yue: 'Why apologize? I'd do the same in your place—only as true friends can we share our secrets.'

Junjun's head rubbed her palm: 'Then we're good friends now.'

Ling Yue: 'Of course.'

Suddenly, a little paw appeared on her hand, a fluffy, golden treasure-seeking mouse spinning its little eyes: "Me too, me too!"

Ling Yue couldn't help but laugh.

After the excitement, returning to the subject, according to Jun Jun herself, she sealed her own body in Mount Unsalty; the Daoists could do nothing to her, so they sealed her soul inside the painting.

Ling Yue blinked, she knew that name; in the 'Northern Wasteland Classic' of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it is recorded: 'In the vast wilderness, there is a mountain named Unsalty, and there is the land of the Sushen clan.'

And 'Mount Unsalty' means 'Mountain of the Deity'.

Passed down to today, it is the Long White Mountain of the three northeastern provinces.

Ling Yue thought: the only animal from Long White Mountain is that incredibly handsome sea-east gyrfalcon, all snow-white, huge in size, the title 'God of Ten Thousand Eagles' fits it perfectly.

After she said that, she saw Da Lao Hu Junjun looking at her, seemingly missing the point, and asked: 'Do you like that sea-east gyrfalcon? Because it has wings and can fly?'

Ling Yue shook her head: 'Of course not. Because I promised it something, so I'm very conscientious; after all, people shouldn't go back on their word and get fat. If I had to say who I like most, it's definitely my good friend, Jun Jun—so handsome! Extremely handsome!'

Hearing those sweet words, Da Lao Hu Junjun immediately perked up its tail proudly, and its fur flicked.

The big tiger's cute mouth kept twitching, making people's hands itch.

How can it be so cute!

The pure-white big tiger, under the light, every inch of its fur seemed to glow, like a divine beast walked out of legend.

Da Lao Hu Junjun seemed to see through her thoughts, actively nuzzling its head into her embrace, and said domineeringly: 'Human, I allow you to pet the tiger for five minutes, only five minutes!'

Ling Yue: '!!!'

She had to rush forward and pounce!

Ling Yue didn't even know when the treasure-seeking mouse had left; she was wholly immersed in Da Lao Hu Junjun's "gentle village", gently rubbing her big head, the fluffy soft fur, softer than clouds in the sky, smoother than fine silk.

Ling Yue felt for the first time that her adjectives were so barren; she moved her lips, truly not worthy of Jun Jun's fur.

Ling Yue pinched its perked-up ears, earnestly returning to the topic: "Alright, let's continue the previous topic; the animals I've come into contact with from Long White Mountain are only that sea eagle. Maybe it wandered around your fief?"

Da Lao Hu Junjun shook his head: "Maybe it ate some small wild fruits from my fief. In the place where I store my body, there is a small fruit grove; the fruits there take several decades to mature once, naturally grown, cannot be cultivated artificially, very beneficial to the body. Hearing you say it's rather formidable, maybe it once ate one."

Ling Yue doubted: "You didn't store it in a safe place? How could an animal get in?"

As she spoke, clear worry appeared in her eyes.

Da Lao Hu Junjun startled: "Rest assured, no person or animal can get in; I placed my body there because the spiritual energy there is most abundant, and I also set up a restriction on my body, so no person or animal can find it."

Ling Yue breathed a sigh of relief, seriously said: "Then when I have free time, let's go to Long White Mountain; coincidentally, my best friend is now doing business in her hometown, I'll go see her..."

Jun Jun nodded, suddenly noticing no sound in its embrace; it lowered its head, leaving only a faint, steady breath, and Ling Yue fell asleep.

Jun Jun was about to move when Ling Yue opened her eyes.

"'Did I just fall asleep?' she said dully; after fully waking, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, anything better than this."

Ling Yue: "You rest early, I'm going to wash up and sleep, good night, Jun Jun."

She hurried upstairs, still remembering to tread lightly, afraid of waking the little cats.

Da Lao Hu Junjun stretched lazily on the sofa, lifted his head to look at the girl's back: "Good night, Yueyue."

The white tiger suddenly leapt, instantly jumping into the painting on the wall; in the originally blank scroll, a great white tiger appeared, coiled.

What Ling Yue didn't expect was that after finishing the circus troupe's affairs and arranging all the animals, she actually had no time to look for the sea eagle.

Because someone had found her in advance.

In the coffee shop.

The soothing music was like a gently flowing river; the bright sunshine of the afternoon gave rise to a sense of laziness.

Ling Yue stirred the sugar in her coffee; the man across from her was somewhat restrained, originally thinking the video in the live stream was just exaggerated, but facing her truly, he realized the woman opposite was poised and graceful, unreserved, which instead made him uneasy.

Ling Yue: "Hello, may I ask what's the matter?"

Ling Yue doesn't see just anyone; this person had been guarding outside her pet consultation shop, telling her he absolutely wasn't coming as a pet consultation client, but had an important matter to discuss with her.

Ling Yue refused, so that person kept guarding the doorway, even dragging out his backing; at the moment he said that, she almost laughed out loud.

"'That Song family in the entertainment industry, Song Xi is the investor of our program team, you know, right?'"

Ling Yue came to, nodded: "I know, I know." Not only does she know, she's quite familiar.

A confident smile of assured victory rose on the man's face: "You're now an internet celebrity, although a top-tier one, but no matter how you develop, you'll only reach this point, after all the circle is only this big, the ceiling is only this high..."

He spoke eloquently; Ling Yue furrowed her brows at him, her eyes deep, asking: "So what?"

"'Haven't you thought of advancing further? For example, going into the entertainment industry? With your talent, looks, and conditions, it's guaranteed that within a few years you'll surely become another rising star; and stars earn a lot of money, so then you wouldn't have to work so hard—cough cough…'"

As he spoke, thinking of Ling Yue's weekly updates, he couldn't help but cough, then continued to spout nonsense: "Working hard at livestreaming, and as an actor, not only is the pay high, but fame is also high; the whole nation admires you, an idol countless people shout for."

Ling Yue nodded, after confirming, this person's talent for making empty promises is top-notch.

She said while picking up her bag: "Anything else you want to say?"

"'If not, I'll leave first; there are still pets at home waiting to be fed.'"

The latter hesitated: "Wait!"

"'I'm a staff member of Fruit TV; do you know our director Fang Sheng? He's the director who filmed those famous variety shows 'Go Love' and 'Go Travel'; he's planning to produce a warm and cute pet variety show, wants to invite you to participate; let me tell you in advance, you are the only amateur among the invited guests!'"

Ling Yue raised her eyebrows: "She's already become a top-tier streamer; does that still count as an amateur?"

On the other hand, the upcoming cute pet variety show sparked a bit of interest in her; she directly asked: "How much is the pay?"

"'Ten thousand per episode!'"

Ling Yue abruptly leaned back, looking at the other party; the latter thought she was stunned: "How about it? Is this pay generous enough? One episode takes seven days, total five episodes, sign once."

Ling Yue looked at him with a complex gaze; in short, it was: "Are you alright? Are you alright? Are you alright?"

"'Otherwise, how dare you.'"

At her current level, she's long not short of money; she refuses all advertising DMs in the backend, even tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan in ad fees; aside from initially glancing, Ling Yue basically doesn't check backend DMs anymore.

Upon hearing ten thousand for seven days, plus having to go out and trek mountains and rivers to record a variety show, Ling Yue really wants to stuff a sour plum into his mouth to let him experience it.

Ling Yue directly stood up: "I have something to do, I'm leaving first."

That staff member hurriedly blocked her: "Miss Ling, we have something to discuss."

Ling Yue: "I think there's nothing to discuss."

"I know what you're scheming; asking about pay is just because I'm curious about the cute pet variety show—let's forget it."

"She had heard of the variety show director; she'd also watched a variety show with some splash, which was decent, but it ended badly! After that, the year Ling Yue graduated, she basically hadn't heard of it."

"Ling Yue never imagined she would make contact with the other party in this way; as for the other's motive, it's likely they want to exploit her current popularity."

"Indeed, she shouldn't have had any curiosity."

"The man hesitated, then said: 'Miss Ling, don't you want to enter the entertainment industry?'"

"We are backed by the Song clan, it's Song Xi; you should know, the Song Group's sole heir, that person's influence is huge—no need for me to say—but even if you're extremely popular now, you're just an internet celebrity, completely different league from a real star."

"Ling Yue frowned tightly; just hearing it, she knew—she hadn't watched her livestream, but using the Song clan as a banner to raise a big flag, she doesn't know if they have anything going on; facing the reality, his career really is doomed."

"Just in case, Ling Yue asked again: 'What variety show are you planning to film?'"

"\"My Little Days with It, \" definitely a cute pet variety show—does it match your profession? Please reconsider—"

"Before he could finish speaking, Ling Yue had already left."

"The man chased after her, but couldn't catch up no matter what; he spat on the ground, his face grim, not knowing how to explain himself."

"On this end, Ling Yue directly called Song Xi; the call connected almost immediately, and Song Xi's cheerful voice came through: 'Host, ah no, Yueyue sister, hahaha.'"

"He said it, unable to hold back his laughter, truly the master's foolish son."

"Ling Yue rubbed her forehead, her bad mood easing a bit; she got straight to the point: 'Who have you provoked lately? Has anything happened? Are you starting to have bad luck again?' ：，，."